Slave
by Monkey Typewriter
Summary: (This will be widely OCs, so if you don't like that crud, go elsewhere.) A Slave to an Empire. An Apprentice to a Sith. A Loose-end to be silenced. Tryst has been all of these things, and yet he remains, as sane as possible. But none of these roles has been his to control. What happens when a Slave becomes the master of his own fate? Sequel: Sith, in progress.
1. Fleeting Kindness

Chapter One...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

A slave bore his burden. He tried to lift the great stone Lightsaber, made for a statue that was three times the size of a normal man. He struggled and toiled, trying to get under it without being crushed, as all the while, a fat overseer in black plasteel armor so tight that it gave him the appearance of a sausage, lashed his whip on the slave with impunity. The slave could not have born this burden had he been fed and given food in the last three days, but the overseer was Sith, no matter by how loose a definition, and loved to set the slaves to toil on impossible tasks. On the final lash of the whip, accompanied with a barking, "LIFT, MAGGOT!", the slave released all of his frustration in a single, ragged scream, and the statue was lifted and set into place at once. The slave, though he was only seven, and slowly dying from his exertions and lacerations, smiled as he flexed his open palm at the Overseer, lifting him as he'd seen so many cruel Sith masters do to their slaves as they built monuments. The Overseer was lifted from the ground, and let out a squeal similar to that of a womp rat being crushed to death in a trash compactor. His squeal was cut short by the stopping of the air flowing through his system, and as the Overseer crumpled to the ground, dead, the slave did the same, however he still drew breath.

0O0O0

I sat olt upright in my bed. I hated that dream, despite the fact that it held one of my greatest accomplishments. Not only freedom, but the ability to train as Sith. The other recruits were shocked by what they witnessed at the academy on Korriban. I'd seen it all before, and while the others took their time to adjust, I began learning, out thinking them, out doing them, even if I was a few years younger. All but one. But I dealt with him as any true Sith would a threat to his power. Swiftly, and without mercy. I had my Lightsaber after only five years in the academy, and had a Master soon after. He was quickly killed by another Sith, and then I had a _new_ Master. One that did not approve of the idea of a former slave becoming Sith. In fact, he hardly suffered any kind of slave, unless if he or she became more powerful. Then he welcomed the former slave with a hand of friendship and a knife in the back soon after.

It was just the way things were.

I wiped the grogginess from my eyes, and quickly reported to my Master. It was bound to be a long day, regardless of the lack of a sun in hyperspace. I walked out of my 'room' in the cargo hold of my Master's freighter, (He refused to provide me a room, regardless of availability. I checked on the time, cursed, and hurried through the sliding doors to kneel by my Master as he looked out of the viewports in the side of the vessel. The cargo hold that we now resided in was fairly large, and had few crates, but my Master liked to have the extra room in which to punish me.

"Tryst." He said simply, without turning. "You're late." His voice held no edge of anger or resentment. I was in so much trouble. "Yes, my Master. I was unable to get myself up. I lack an alarm, and have no funds with which to purchase one." He nodded, still staring out the window. Then he turned to me, _smiling_. And the scary thing was that it seemed genuinely warm. I was in _so_ much trouble. I stood slowly, and flinched when he placed a hand on my shoulders. I sighed, knowing that my punishment would be worse for showing fear. He was still smiling warmly when I worked up the courage to probe his emotions with The Force. I could feel his anger... It was just pure RAGE. It was undeniable, irresistable, and would destroy me if I said or did the wrong thing. Hell, It might just do that anyway. His smile finally turned cold, and he swatted me across the huge room, and I landed in some crates piled together. The only downside was that the soft crates that broke my fall were made of strong metal, and really hurt me all over. He was on me again, This time with his lightsaber. I barely had time to get a guard up to try and block his savage blows, and I was scared. Whatsmore, I was too scared to use this fear as energy to help protect myself.

Then, all at once, he stopped, and hissed a single word.

"Jedi."


	2. Clash

Chapter 2

I allowed all of my hatred of the Jedi to come to the front of my mind, all of my fear of being killed, by a Jedi or my Master, and any other dark emotions that I could dredge up to bear on the Jedi that I too could sense now. They were just coming out of hyper-space... they'd been following us. Hunting us. Like we were... like...

"Like womp rats." Lord Palius grunted. He strode to the ships controls, taking command. He grabbed the controls, and turned our sleek black ship to focus on their large red and white one. It wasn't much bigger than our freighter-sized ship, just blockier. And if I may say, a lot less cool looking.

"Get on the guns!" My Master shouted to me, and I rushed to comply. I almost pitied the Jedi; they had to fight my Master. But True Sith do not know pity. I focused the force, probing the space with the dark side, and managed to fire right where they came out of Hyperspace. However, the ship was already veering as they had sensed my probe, guessing what we were doing. Blast.

I continued shooting like this, until I gave up, using the force to instead cloud my enemy's foresight, and used the targetting computer to fire on them. I did get a few hits on them, but their shielding took care of that. And they were firing back. We took a few more hits, as my Master was never that great a driver. I could hear him yell in frustration, as he leapt out of the chair. "Tryst! Take over!" He yelled in disgust at having needed me for something. "I'm going to send them a message." He left, and I assumed that he was serious. Lord Palius had a way with words, and a great vocabulary. When he put the Force into his voice, few could resist. He's even tricked a few into committing suicide. I haven't quite learned that one yet.

I went into full dogfighting mode, almost entering a trance as I used the pilot's single blaster cannon like a pro, and I worked my way on and back to their tail, shooting down more and more of their shields until I scored a scorch mark on their engine. Then they got smart enough to try shooting back with a cannon of theirs that can be directed anywhere under or to the sides of their ship. Their dual cannons made short work of our shields, but both of our ships stopped firing, sensing a truce.

Don't they know? A truce with a Sith is like trying to defuse a bomb. Either you pick wrong and it blows up in your face, or you wait for it to blow up in your face. What I'm saying is if you betray them, it doesn't go well for you, and if they betray you, it's too late for you. They drew closer, and no doubt, closer to the fight of their lives.

Our ships connected, docking to each other, and they walked aboard, seeming confident, even arrogant in their abilities. The Master was human, and the Apprentice was a Miraluka. So, three Humans and a Miraluka. Sounds like the start of a joke. A bad one.

My master was still not in the room, and I bowed to them with a flourish, using my fear to power the force. Which I used to hide my fear from them. I smiled at them, taking in every detail that I could. The Master seemed to be about forty, maybe older, but the apprentice was hard to gauge with her eye-covering. However, the fancy eye cover told me that she believed in having nice things. So most likely, younger than thirty, as at that age most become complete... Jedi. Both wore the same robes, but where the Master's hair was kept short, only a few inches, her Apprentice wore the long braid of a padawan.

My Master strode in confidently from the side, getting their attention and two ignited lightsabers from them. And one from an extremely jumpy me. I kept my lightsaber ignited and tilted in front of me. The apprentice held her saber in a Shien form, with a reversed grip, and looked ready to leap at me, when her Master put a hand on her shoulder, calming her. The Master Jedi was the only one of the three of us to disable her lightsaber. She put a smile on her face and walked up to Palius. Palius smiled harder, and began talking.

Now, you don't understand. Lord Palius is a pale and scary person. But his voice is like the softest of fabrics, like his words tickle your mind in just the right way. Once he adds the force, very few can stop him. "My Jedi friends, what brings you here? I was hoping that perhaps we could settle our differences like civilized people. Let me just take your weapons and we can go to negotiate."

Once he'd finished talking, I found my lightsaber deactivated, and I took a few steps towards him before my head cleared. I saw the Apprentice do the same, but the Master Jedi stuck her arm out, barring her pupil's path. Her pupil seemed confused, and only seemed more so when her Master activated her own lightsaber, telling the Apprentice to do the same. The Apprentice did so with a question on her face, and Master Palius made a growl of frustration. "Deal with her!" He shouted to me, pointing at the Apprentice, when he leapt at the Jedi from accross the room. I forgot about those two, and smiled at the Padawan now rushing me with a green lightsaber in hand.

I reignited my crimson blade, and easily side stepped her first clumsy swing. As a matter of fact, I dodged or blocked all of her swings, feeling disgusted that this was actually a fight. I didn't even need the force to help foresee her swings. After one swing that I blocked, I pushed back against her, and we were face to face in a saber lock.

I couldn't keep the sneer off of my face, even knowing that she couldn't see it. "You should know, that this isn't my best." I whispered conspiratorally. She smiled, (not looking, but aiming her face right at mine) "good." She said. "I was getting worried.

Then she swept my legs out from under me with a kick, and pointed her saber at my face, I smiled, and grabbed her ankle, commanding the Force to leave me in blue arcs of pain. It surged into her, and her muscles spasmed uncontrollably as I rolled away, climbing to my feet. My saber was held in a more defensively stance, and I stood as well as I could, gathering the Force to help me foresee her attacks. Where before she was slow and obvious, she now darted at me with quick attacks that were hard to follow, and I barely kept my defense up. I had been tricked.

The rage grew inside of me. And grew. Until I released it with a savage push with the Force, sending her into the same dent that I made earlier. I walked to her, slowly, letting my rage build. She was going to die. I was going to kill her. She was dead. I had my saber raised, ready to chop her head off, when I felt a blow to the back of my head. I wasn't ready for it, and fell next to my opponent.

Her Master! Had she bested Palius that easily? No, no, Palius was locked with her again, using his brute strength, trying to trump her agility. Their battle carried over into the other room. I stood up as quickly as I got over myself, and turned to face an already standing Miraluka. And she wasn't happy to see- I mean, not see me.

She attacked again, and I was hard-pressed to keep the fight in neutral. I blocked and parried, slashed and stabbed, but now that we both had some time to gather our wits, we were evenly matched. And I hated it. No blind weakling, no weak Jedi, would best me! I released my frustration with a yell and a slash that I put the force behind. She was thrown backward, but rather then hit the wall again, she got her feet on the wall, and jumped at me. I barely had time to dodge, and her lightsaber raked across my black robes, and cut through the white armor underneath, leaving a cut into my chest, (and into a few ribs.) The heat from the lightsaber sealed the wound, so there wasn't much blood loss, but it hurt. A lot.


	3. Sleeping It Off

Chapter 3

She held the vibrant green blade to my neck, where I lay on the floor, and I propped myself up by my forearms, and welcomed the searing pain in my chest. Another scar to add to my collection. The pain I kept at the front of my mind, gathering the force again, hoping to continue this fight. She smiled at me, and without moving her head, (to give the impression of watching me, though she could sense everything going on around her through the force.) She shouted to her master, "I have mine! What about you?" I smiled at this, seeing my Master stride in with the Jedi's limp form over his shoulder. He threw her to the ground, and the smile dissapeared from her face. She turned and leapt at my Master, and I pushed her again, this time holding her against the wall. I smiled wickedly, climbing to my feet and biting back a scream from the pain, as my Master assessed the situation.

"She bested you?" He asked, sounding angry. I stammered something to the affect of a yes, when he backhanded me again and I lost my hold on the girl. I sat cringing on the floor, until I got my pain under control. It took a while. "Stop doing that!" I yelled, as I picked myself up, trying to rub the pain away from the skull-jarring blow.

He was standing over me, and grabbed me by the throat. He lifted me from the ground until we were at eye level with each other. He smiled, and he never smiles. I hated him, and I'm sure that he felt my hatred, because I felt his. "Looks like I've found my new apprentice. He squeezed my throat then, and I clawed at his hands, trying to rip his hand away, to drink in the air and its promise of life.

He kept choking me until the ship was rocked with blaster fire again. I could feel them faintly, and gurgled at my master happily, "have fun with the pirates." Then I passed out. I didn't enjoy a Force vision, at least, so at least _this_ time, I could say that being knocked unconscious wasn't one of the worst experiences of my life. I'll just try and sleep off the fight, and then worry about my situation.

* * *

AN: Intentionally short. Enjoy the next one.


	4. Escaping

Chapter 4

I woke up with a throbbing, bandaged chest. I woke up without my lightsaber. I woke up in a cage. But worst of all, I woke up with a collar around my neck, a Slave again. I screamed with frustration, trying to blast the door off of its hinges with a wave of The Force. But I couldn't. I could feel The Force around me, as strongly as ever, but I couldn't bend it to my will anymore. Like it had went deaf to what I told it. I raged for almost an hour, pounding on the bars with my fists, yelling into the cargo hold loudly, and when I finally calmed down, (outwardly, at least.) I noticed the two cells on either side. One held a pile of bones. The other held the Jedi Master.

She was sitting cross legged, eyes shut, and seemed to be meditating. I looked at her angrily. How could she be so calm? We were about to be slaves! We were going to bear the weight of the empire on our backs. That wasn't a joke either. Slaves had to carry almost every brick, every statue, and do it faster than a machine could. Slavery was simply a method of control for the Sith, in more ways then one. The Slaves would be like a warning to all of those who had the faintest idea. The message was clear... Don't. If they did, their entire planet would become ground zero for a slave class to hit the population.

I was simply born into it. But I didn't want to be brought back into it. I'd rather die. But she looked to be perfectly calm, even heading into servitude of her sworn enemies. And then a bolt of the force blew her cell door off of its hinges. She smiled and stood, as I looked at her with a question in my face.

She looked pretty smug. "Concentration is key. Its a good thing that Jedi know it so well." I waved the answer away. "No, I was wondering if you'd kill me. She looked shocked by this, and I sighed, sitting against the back of my cell. "I'm not going back into slavery, and you aren't stupid enough to release me, even if I got on my knees and begged. I probably wouldn't even if I knew it would have worked. I've spent far too much time kneeling to others." She looked like she'd swallowed something with the taste and consistency of crap, and blinked a few times. So not the most emotionless Jedi in the galaxy. Good for her.

I tugged on the collar, feeling the faint electric shock resulting from my small tug. That or it was an average shock, and I'd just become too well adjusted to electric shocks to feel it. Either way, taking it off would probably release enough juice to kill me. She pondered what I'd said.

"I will." She said. "Kill you, I mean. If you really want. All you need to do is take my collar off. If its taken off by someone else, it won't discharge." I nodded. "Whatever." I said bitterly. I walked to the bars, and easily undid the collar that looked more like an electronic belt on her neck. I looked around the room, hating what would become my final resting place more and more. Then I spotted him. Yes! I was back in business!

I undid her necklace, and handed it to her. I then shooed her away. "Forget the deal, get out of here." As the Jedi ran, and the slaver walked towards us with a cart laden with goodies and valuables. Including a menacing, old, old droud. He was an HK-49, and a valuable relic. I'd stolen and powered him up myself. I was his master, and he did whatever I said. He was one of my few prized possesions, and only friend. When the slaver stopped, searching the hold for the missing Jedi, I said to him, just loud enough for his audio receptors only, "Activation Code 9436, Directive: Release Master. Begin." He just sat there for a sickening moment. Had I forgotten the right activation sequence? Crap, if he didn't start up...

I looked down, only to hear a strange, almost vibrating voice call, "MastER?"

I looked up happily. "HK, you really are great with the theatrics. I almost killed myself from dissapointment."

He was quickly at work, breaking the lock with a rust red fist. "That would be unfortunate Master." I nodded to him. "Find us some weapons. Blasters, Vibroswords, even a big enough stick will work. And get this collar off of me, I won't be a slave again." He complied, smart enough to do my second command first.

As soon as the collar was off, I checked on the Force. I lifted a crate with ease, and sighed with relief as HK walked off. I was happy enough when the Slaver that had been searching for the Jedi found me. He quickly aimed his blaster, and I jumped to the side. He refocused, and I quickly pulled the gun from his hand, catching it by the barrel. I grabbed the trigger, and shot him in his chest. His leather didn't stop a bolt.

I reloaded the gun with a clip that he had on him, and HK came back carrying a Vibrosword and a blaster pistol. I traded with him, so he had his signature double blaster pistols, and I had a weapon that I was more comfortable with. "Let's hijack a ship." I told him, and I could tell by his tone of voice that he was excited for the undoubted murders we would commit.

* * *

AN: Yeah, yeah, I know. HK-47 was Revan's. I'm not saying that this droid is as good, or as cool, but I'll try to make it so. By the way, don't tear my story apart. It isn't supposed to fit in perfectly with the SW canon, I just wanted to make a decent Star Wars story.


	5. Unfortunate Facts

Chapter 5

I gripped the vibrosword with white knuckles. My fists were clenched, and I wanted to kill everyone on this ship. They found defenseless people out in space, kidnapping them, and forcing them into a life of servitude and cruel treatment, along with the promise of an untimely death in an unmarked grave. Not that I cared too much what befell people, but it had happened to me, and I could sympathize with those who had been slaves.

HK and I were making good progress. We made our way, finding that the whole cargo hold was manned by a single guard. How stupid were these guys? One guard for a Jedi Master and a Sith apprentice? We pretended to ignore the cameras, as HK started complaining about the lack of Meat-Bags to kill. I smiled. His programming is based on that of HK-47, the original organic killer. HK-47 was the most efficient droid assassin to date, and having a droid with similar abilities and programming makes life a lot easier.

We were in the clear with the Cargo level, so I asked HK if he could tell the type of ship. He did, in fact, and was able to tell me that it had three levels: Cargo, Cabins, and Cockpit area. So, if the Cargo area is clear, and the Jedi is free, we can assume that she already has control of the ship. Or she's dead. HK hoped that she was still alive. 'One more meat-bag to kill'.

HK and I went through the cabins just to be sure that no one came up behind us. I saw a few who looked knocked out cold, either from some trick of the Force, or the Jedi's hand-to-hand skill. We came out in the cockpit, only to see the Jedi bash the pilot's head into a steering wheel. He slumped to the side, and was laying on the ground unconscious while I looked at the Jedi.

She bowed to me, (More of a mocking gesture then one of respect) and said, "I am Jedi Knight Tiras. And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

HK already had a gun trained on her head. I waved him off in a way that we'd established meant stay ready, but he lowered his gun for show. I smiled. "Tryst, of the Sith Empire, and HK-49. How can I serve you?" I kept my tone civil, even if she had to be feeling my anger, or resentment, or whatever it was. She smiled then, like I'd just lost this game of words and thoughts. Maybe I had.

"You are accustomed to that, are you not?" She said, and my grip on the Vibrosword tightened. "What do you mean?" I asked, no anger on my face or body, but it built inside of me regardless. "I can sense your past. You were born into slavery. You were forced to build up the very men who oppressed and harmed you, immortalizing them as they sent you to your tombs."

"Stop." I warned her, but still she persisted. "Until one day, you were pushed too far. You killed an exceptionally cruel man, yet still you toiled under the control of the Sith, finishing the task set before you no matter what. Always working, always _slaving away_ at your jobs."

"Stop it!" I yelled. My anger had manifested itself in the force unintentionally. Loose items all around, blaster pistols, papers, data pads... They were all swept up in the maelstrom of the Force taking place around me. HK had taken a few steps away, pointing his gun at Tiras again.

Yet still she persisted.

"You were the same to your Master as to all the others before him. Subservient. Tame. Yet your anger longed to break free, to lash out at those who had oppressed you."

"The Sith made me strong!" I yelled, and the Maelstrom intensified. And she still would not STOP.

"THE SITH MADE YOU THEIRS!" She shouted back, so forcefully that I was surprised to see a Jedi get emotional. "They made you their pawn, as they've done to hundreds before you, and will do to hundreds after you. They stole your strength from you, that you kept even throughout slavery, and made you even more of a slave. A Slave to their laws, their rules, their customs, and using the same who they'd just as easily kill without a second thought as give a lightsaber. You had no chance for retribution, to gain true power. The Sith way is of attaining power, but only your Emperor can ever truly gain it. All the others in your Empire just fool themselves."

I fell to my knees. What she said was... accurate. If not completely correct.

"What can I do?" I asked, not expecting an answer. The maelstrom intensified, spinning the objects fast enough to begin forcing a wind away from me."I am just one apprentice. How can I tear them down?" She walked up to me, straight through the maelstrom, with HK calling out warnings. He was no danger to her right now though, as his current command set wouldn't let him shoot on anything other then my command or death.

She put a hand on my shoulder. "You can fight." I nodded, and stood. I planned to.


	6. Meditation

Chapter 6

I hefted my vibrosword, pointing it at the unarmed Jedi. "If I'm going to fight alongside you, show me that you're a worthy ally." She looked taken aback, like she'd expected her speech to have a deeper effect. It really had cut me deep, helped me to view my world better... but I would not destroy and reimagine my entire world view if the Emperor himself started juggling while he rode on a flying Rancor. I needed proof of her strength, that I wouldn't be tricked into joining the weaker side. I was always taught that the Jedi were weak for their failure to use their passion. If she proved these teachings wrong, I would join her.

She nodded uncertainly, so I walked out of the cockpit, her following me to the cargo hold. HK was following me too.

"HK." He nodded. "MastER?" I smiled. "Don't interfere in the fight. If she manages to kill me, the Jedi will become your new master. Understood?" He nodded, and answered with a disappointed sounding, "Yes, MastER."

I led her down to the cargo room, and without warning turned and leapt at her with the vibrosword. She leapt backwards, quickly gathered the force, and launched me at the wall. I really felt it in my still very much injured chest. I grasped the burning cut into my chest, almost feeling it as much as when her apprentice first cut into it.

I was happy to feel the pain, though. Even if it nearly brought me to my knees. It helped to fuel me. I let my pain rage, and added other fuel to the fire. Hatred for Palius. Anger at being too weak... at being replaced... at being weaker then a Jedi. I let these thoughts gather and swirl in my head, forcing them to go bigger, for more pain, more rage.

It was working. I felt the Force, ready to bend to my will. And I was ready to bend it. I gathered the raw energies of the force, forcing them into tangible energy. I let the Force Lightning arc across my body, filling me with ever greater pain, and by extension... Power.

I gathered the Lightning, and forced it to arc towards where the Jedi... had been. I had taken far too long in preperation. She could be anywhere. The Lightning continued to arc across only my arms now. I held it, grimacing from the pain, and finally decided to 'store' it in the vibrosword. It wouldn't hurt me anymore, and I could sustain Lightning for far longer when it was being held on something. I could keep this up for a while, but not forever. I searched the nearby vicinity, but failed to locate her. I muttered a few curses, and sat, back to a wall. I looked at the mountains of cargo, and sighed. No way I'd find her without her getting the drop on me.

So I sat, waiting, and with nothing better to do, tried to emulate what the Jedi had been doing. Meditating. Blech.

It was not fun, and I repeatedly asked myself why I was doing this. After a while, I simply ceased all thought. I just... was. No thoughts no actions... then it came. The Force made itself known, not only to my body, but my mind. I could see... Palius. He was shocking his new apprentice with the use of a slave collar, trying to both break her, and get useful info about the Republic. I also saw... the Jedi. Tirsa. She was leaping at me, her Lightsaber in hand...

I reacted before I knew it. I had rolled to the left, blasting her away with a wave of the Force that I must've gathered while meditating. I looked down at the vibrosword in my hand. The charge had vanished. How long had I sat there? I looked up at the now rushing Jedi, but was now at a disadvantage. The Lightsaber was a far easier to use weapon, as well as more maneuverable, and as much as I hated to admit, I was outclassed by someone who could hold Palius for as long as she did. I dropped the vibrosword.

"I'm no fool. You've won. I'll join you. The Empire isn't a good way to do things, one on top, the others all vying for imitations of power... I'll join you."

She smiled. "Great. Here's your saber." She tossed me my lightsaber, and I immediately activated it. I looked it over, searching for any flaw that the slavers had left. There was only one scuff, and I got that out with a rubbing of my ruined robes. I looked at it, loving the feel of the familiar weapon. I deactivated it, and nodded to her.

"Well," I said, smiling, "I'm going to kill the slavers. Tell me when we're ready to depart, and I'll tell HK to fly us wherever.

Her smile slipped at the mention of 'kill'. She pursed her lips. "You can't. They're being taken to prison as enemies of the Republic. Killing them now is an act of treason."

I hate the Republic.


	7. Frustration

Chapter 7

I was brought before the Jedi council, and even if only two of them there, I had no doubt that they'd cut me down where I stood if I went for my lightsaber. Tirsa was requesting that I be allowed to train, and I was standing in the middle of the ring of Jedi, fidgeting with impatience and discomfort. And a little bit of fear. If they didn't accept me for training, I doubted they'd let some young Force-user trained in the Dark-side roam free on Tython.

Tirsa was exaggerating my skill with both blade and the Force, while understating all of my... issues. I took in a shaky breath, trying to copy what I had done on the ship before. Calm, concentrate, and... nope. Thoughts still crazy, fears still mad. One of the two council members that were present, a dignified looking woman with blue eyes, held up a hand to silence Tirsa and said, "Your fears and emotions are too wild. I can feel them without a thought. Leave us now, and we won't go after you."

She acted like she had the right to dismiss me. She does, I told myself. She could easily kill me. And would, if I wasn't careful. I tried again to clamp down on my emotions. It didn't work too well.

"Look," I said as calmly and respectfully as I could. "We both know that you can't do that. If I leave here without becoming one of you, you'll be forced to come after me as defenders of the Light. If I stay here, I'll be killed by you for coming here. At least twelve Jedi drew their sabers when they sensed me, and some didn't want to stop after the situation was explained. But it is your way, your duty, to show compassion when possible. And I've learned from Firearm that you don't kill those who surrender. So," I said, dropping my lightsaber unceremoniously, "I surrender."

Tirsa smiled at this, even as the entire council, both here and semi-here, frowned and grumbled. The woman that had tried to dismiss me stood, walking up to me. I knew that she could sense my fear, apprehension, and just how unsure of myself I was. But I kept my face looking respectfully blank, looking the slightly taller woman in the eye. She looked at Tirsa.

"Are you sure that you can train him?" Tirsa nodded, looking happy. The older woman sighed, and consented, saying that she could train me. Tirsa said "Thank you, Master." Even as the other masters began to shout and voice their disapproval. I sighed, letting my feelings go for a moment.

I followed Tirsa out even as the other Masters argued with the woman that had allowed me in to learn. Tirsa kept her voice blank, but her voice held excitement. "That was good. But you won't be learning with me just yet." Her good nature seemed to vanish. It occurred to me that she may have simply stayed happy throughout that situation to help me deal with it. Jedi, using mind tricks even when they _aren't_ using continued, "I need to mourn my lost apprentice, and you need to pass some of the trials of being an apprentice before being a Padawan.

* * *

I was in a small room, surrounded by small children, and I was angry. Not just 'Ah, you ate my last cookie!' mad either. Really, royally, and without a doubt pissed off. I was with the Younglings! They were all under ten years old! And whatsmore, they confiscated my lightsaber! How was I supposed to focus without my Lightsaber!?

Calm... calm the heck down, Tryst. You barely got in at all. You think they'll just throw you into a class with the pros? Okay. I was feeling moderately better, and the teacher that was monitoring the Younglings nodded to me. Sensing my poor attempt at control, then? Okay cool. The teacher of the Younglings resumed her instruction of them, telling them to settle down, to focus, to calm their feelings. I tried. I really did. But I was always taught, no, not taught. _Conditioned,_ to keep thinking, always have a way to your rage so you're not forced into a confrontation without the Force to aid you. Quieting my mind, my thoughts, my emotion, went against everything that had been drilled into my head on Korriban, and later, by Palius.

The more I tried, the more I failed, and as I racked up the failures, I got more and more frustrated, losing the small amount of calm that I'd found. I kept my eyes sealed shut, internally raging that I wasn't on par with the Younglings! How could i not match up to what a child could? How? I kept raging, fighting in vain to get control over myself. But I did not stir from my mockery of meditation. I continued, and did not stop until someone shook me by my shoulders. My eyes opened just in time to see three of the Younglings closest to me fall from a height of about a foot, onto their butts where they were complaining about how the fall hurt. I turned to see the teacher for the Younglings looking at me with an air of disapproval. I sighed.

This would not be easy. Or possible.


	8. Code of Conduct

Chapter 8

I was walking through the gardens around the temple, laughing as the plants themselves recoiled from me. They must be attuned to the Jedi, not an immoral slave like me. However, it certainly hurt that I couldn't meditate even half as well as the Younglings. I was just trying to calm myself enough so that maybe I'd stop failing so horribly at serenity. The Jedi Code (which Tirsa and every other Jedi I met would drill into my brain) was so different from the Sith Code. They didn't mix. Maybe that's a bad sign for me.

I recited the Jedi Code again, managing to mangle it yet again with the Sith Code.

_"Ignorance is a lie, there is only passion.__Through passion, I gain serenity.__Through serenity, I gain strength. Through strength, my chains are broken. Through freedom, I defeat death.__There is no death, there is the Force."_

I sighed, knowing this to be wrong. I was about to take out a datapad with the correct Code on it, when I heard snickering behind me. I turned to see a group of three Padawans walking towards me. They all wore the Padawan hair, (Except the one on the right, for obvious reasons.) The one in the middle was big, and apparently stupid enough to try and start something with me. The one on the right seemed at ease, and tall. Very tall. I looked at the group. The guys in the middle and to the left seemed at ease, but the girl on the right seemed... nervous. Scared.

The guys were humans, and the girl was a Twi'lek, with one of her head-tails cut off. She kept pushing the remaining stump behind her head, like it was a habit. I reached out with the Force, to see what they felt. Of course, I was still channeling the Force like a Sith, and the plants shrank even further from me when I gathered my fear, anger, and frustration directed at both the Jedi and myself. The girl wasn't just nervous, she was scared. She felt familiar too, I could feel a certain despair and desperation, deep in her past... like we were the same. Then I got it. She used to be a slave. As she got closer, I saw that her face was scarred under one eye. The guy on the left felt unafraid, and like a Jedi should, happy to help. Happy to serve. He thought that they were going to stop me from doing wrong.

But the last one I read like a book. He wasn't a Jedi. Oh, he was a Padawan, but he didn't care about helping, or defending others. All he cared for was fighting the Sith. He wanted to test his strength. Of course he wasn't evil, but he wanted to test himself against a Sith. And I was the closest thing around. They were all wearing their Jedi robes, and I smiled, seeing the Lightsabers on their hips. I was still wearing my black robes (my armor was confiscated by Tirsa). I liked my robes. They were familiar.  
And they certainly didn't have a secret pocket with a back-up lightsaber.

That would be crazy.

The one in the middle started laughing again. "It's funny." He said. "You know, how stupid you are." I smiled at him. "Yes, my memory isn't the best. Could you please help me learn the code?" I asked him as politely as I could, and doing a decent job of hiding my disgust of these... weaklings. He shook his head, but the girl said it all.

"_There is no emotion, there is peace.__There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.__There is no passion, there is serenity.__There is no chaos, there is harmony.__There is no death, there is the Force." _I nodded at her. "Thank you." My disgust for her faded. The guy on the left smiled and nodded. The one in the middle looked angry when she recited it though, glaring daggers at her. "What's wrong?" I asked him. "Is she not allowed to speak?"

His stare turned to me, and it turned to a cold smile. "Not to scum like you." I nodded, my face apologetic. "Yeah, you must be used to former slaves taking orders. How noble of you to take advantage of that." The guy on the left looked confused. The girl held her hands over her mouth. A secret? Not to anyone that could read people. And the guy in the middle was spitting mad.

"Take that back!" He yelled, drawing a brilliant blue lightsaber. I smiled. "Make me." He charged. I jumped over him, and he slashed into a tree behind me. I turned to see him, his face even angrier.

"Oooh, watch that temper." I mocked him. "Anger's the way to the Dark Side." He snarled, "You'd know!" I nodded. "Yeah. I would." Then I gathered the Force, feeling it rise within me, and let loose a torrent of raw Force energy, arcing at him with electric pain. He caught it on his Lightsaber, and gave me a savage smile. "Nice try, Sith."

"You think I'm Sith?" I laughed. "I might be an evil, self-serving jerk, you know, like yourself." He looked ready to kill me again. "But a True Sith would chew you up and spit out your bones. Someone like Palius would kill you in a second. And your friends," I gestured at the two Padawans that stood with their Lightsabers activated, (both green) and like they had no idea what to do. "They wouldn't be able to stop him."

I shook my head. "You, my fine furious friend, have no idea what the Sith are capable of. But she does." I pointed at the girl. "You know first hand, as do I, how horrible the Sith are. And that's why the Galaxy needs Jedi. Not to pick fights, but to protect those who can't fight for themselves. Even I know that."

I walked away then, before I was forced to take out my Lightsaber and fight him. The other two followed me at a distance, and the one Padawan sat alone in a garden, stewing with rage. I probably just set his Master back years of training in the teaching of the evils of the Dark Side, because i could feel him seethe through the Force, I could feel his intense hatred of me. I smiled.

Maybe this Jedi thing won't be so bad.


	9. Pride and Slavery

Chapter 9

I sighed and turned to the Padawans following me. "Don't you two have a jerk to get back to?" The girl said no, and the guy just shook his head. The green girl in front of me said simply, with a shrug, "He was a jerk. Like you said." The guy smiled and nodded. "Why isn't he talking?" I asked quietly to the girl, but he heard me anyway, frowning. She shook her head and said sadly, "He... We..." She sucked in a deep breath, "We were both slaves to a Hutt. I was too loud by accident. He took the blame for me. The Hutt had his tongue cut out."

The mute man helpfully smiled wryly, then opened his mouth to reveal a mutilated tongue. "And you _let_ him take your punishment?" I asked. She seemed to be a bit of a coward. The guy frowned and shook his head. The girl looked ready to cry though.

"He... he wouldn't let me. He insisted it was him, and wouldn't let me take my place." I nodded, shaking the guy's hand. "You sound like you'll make a good Jedi. If you two are going to follow me around, what are your names?" The girl smiled. "I'm Rila, and he's Drake." I nodded. "Well, Rila and Drake, may I ask why you're following me?" I was starting to lose patience. I didn't really want friends. Being with those who tried to be friendly... It always set me on edge. No one was ever friendly, or even polite, without some sort of ulterior motive. At least in my experience.

"So, Rila, Drake, who was the jerk that I just had the displeasure to meet?" Rila's face turned... unhappy. And Drake seemed confused by this. "He's... he's J'than. He's... eager, to fight."

"And not that great at it." I said with a smile on my face. "No. You're wrong. He's usually great. He's the best Padawan in the temple, maybe better then a few of the Knights. You just got him to lose focus." I scoffed.

"If he loses focus that easily, he's not a great fighter. He's about as dangerous to anyone smart as a bug." Drake smiled, high-fiving me. "Why do you two even hang with him?" Drake's smile vanished and he shook his head, as Rila spoke for them. "We don't. He said that he was going to deal with the corruption in the garden. We didn't know it was an ally."

I nodded. "Okay... but why does he have the right to order you around?" Rila looked down, and Drake leaned against some kind of fruit-bearing tree. "He doesn't. He just does. And we listen, Because-"

"Because you're Slaves." I said it softly, and with more compassion then a horrible, self-serving jerk like me should've been able to muster. I sighed, leaning against a plant of my own. It shuddered at my touch, and leaned away. Rila looked down sadly and nodded, even as Drake looked at me indignantly. Drake opened his mouth, then closed it. Remembering.

"Look, I know that Sith often come inherent with slavery, but-" and Rila cut me off, finding her fire. "But nothing. Sith are always enslaving others, be it in lies and deals, or chains. That's another reason we came. You Sith don't understand what it's like to serve the every whim of others. To perform back-breaking labors for others that value your life in coins and years. We wanted to take you down a few pegs. Drake, let's go."

I wanted to tell them that I understood. That I had performed laborious duties not only for others, but bore the weight of an empire on the shared backs of slaves. But I didn't. I was too proud.


	10. Dreams and Visions

AN: Sorry about spoilers here, thought I'd deleted them. Forget you ever saw them, they're gone now.

Chapter 10

I sat alone in some apprentice quarters. They were too small. Oh, they were built for younglings, and were probably perfect sized for them. But I couldn't deal with it. Even my place in the cargo hold was better then this. I gathered the blankets, (no pillow, too soft for me) and headed out to the garden, sleeping on the ground.

I had dreams. Terrible dreams.

I was being held down by two of the Jedi, while J'than readied to cut my head off with his lightsaber. Then, I was back in the Korriban academy, taking a whipping as Rila and Drake watched, smiling, along with a few others, all decked out in black robes. Then I watched myself, as the brilliant blue lightsaber of Tirsa went through my gut.

I woke up yelling, and found HK standing over me, a few small dead creatures at his feet, and my lightsaber in his hand. I sighed in relief, and activated it, feeling a little better in the red glow. I'd sent him to retrieve it (with no casualties, don't worry) as soon as the Jedi had confiscated it.

"MastER, I have a query. Why not kill the Jedi in their sleep?" I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "Because HK, we're working with them now. And that means no killing them. I need sleep. HK, enter full defensively mode, stun level weapons. Lethal force not authorized." He made a soft sound of disappointment, and started to walk out a pattern. I deactivated my saber and clipped my saber to my belt. I may have had a back-up, but it wasn't my lightsaber. You can just feel the saber's... attunement. It was, without a doubt, my weapon. And I don't like using that one apprentice's saber. It always felt all wrong.

My back up saber belonged to the apprentice that I fried in order to graduate the academy on Korriban. It was his. It always had an air of... enmity to it. Like it hated me. It was ridiculous, of course, but I felt it regardless. I always felt like it would turn against me. I shook these stupid thoughts from my head, and went to sleep.

The morning brought a sun too bright for my mood. I grumbled as I got up, gathered the bedding, and dumped them back in my quarters. I went back to the garden and got HK, who was still circling the garden tirelessly. I told him to go to my room and wait there. I warned him that the next few weeks might be boring. He sighed and told me that he was expecting as much. As he walked off, I tried to think of what might cheer him up. An assassination? Maybe. I shrugged, and headed off to meet Tirsa. Sh didn't look happy.

"I was told that you hurt several younglings?" She didn't sound angry, so I mentally prepared myself to take the blows. I kneeled, and told her that it was a mistake, and how I had tried to meditate, failing. She didn't look satisfied. I bowed my head deeper. "Yes master." I heard a laughed, and I cringed, awaiting the pain. She simply said, "I'm not your master yet." Then she must've noticed what I was doing. "What are you doing? Get up." I complied, standing uneasily. She looked at me with a look that said 'spill it.' So I did.

"Lord Palius likes an easy target when I fail him." She took a few seconds to process this. "You were waiting for me to... to hit you?" She seemed incredulous. "Yeah... and..." I was about to tell her about my dreams when she interrupted me.

"Is that a Lightsaber on your belt!?" She sounded pissed off, but she was whispering, so the other Jedi that walked by, raising an eye to how I kneeled to her, wouldn't hear.

"Yeah... I had HK get it for me. I don't like having to walk around the Jedi Temple on Tython, essentially the Jedi homeworld, with nothing but a back-up."

"You were armed this whole time?!" She exploded again, but still she managed to keep it quiet. There might be something behind that whole 'Jedi Discipline' thing after all.

"Yeah, but look. I had dreams... visions. And this isn't the first time. Usually it's the same scene. Me ascending from slavery. But this time... It was different." I was trying to pick and choose what to tell and what not to. "I saw myself getting attacked by J'than again, but this time he had help. Then..." I didn't want to reveal the 'Sith' Rila and Drake. Despite not wanting friends, I felt that they were the closest that I had, and I didn't want to lose that now. "I was back on Korriban. Being whipped with a _leather_ whip. Not even a _plasma_ whip. Then... I saw someone stab me."

She seemed about ready to say something, when I heard a shout.

"There he is!" Shouted a familiar voice. I stood, and whirled around to find J'than pointing at me, (like he needed to. I was the only one in black robes.) and two other Jedi, more advanced then Padawans, advance on me.

Well, at least one of those visions was coming true today.


	11. Jedi 'Justice'

Chapter 11

J'than drew his lightsaber. Heh. Funny. I took out both of my lightsabers, the familiar one that was mine, with the leather gripping surrounding the metal. And the malicious one. It had spikes surrounding the opening of the saber, and a small metal blade jutting out. I didn't activate them yet though.

Tirsa walked calmy in front of me, and addressed the Knights quite harshly. "If you have a reason to take my young friend here, you're welcome to him. But if you don't, I suggest that young J'than here explains himself."

The Knights' sabers were retracted and they pulled Tirsa aside to do a lot of hand waving and yelling. J'than walked towards me, channeling the Force for a fight. I was trying to avoid the use of the Dark-side, so I just held my sabers ready, trying to gauge his next move based on his eyes and body movement. It was a lot harder, but from past experience, J'than wasn't too good.

He opened with a lateral slash, and I jumped back. He gathered the Force and blasted me with a wave, and I was knocked off of my feet. He leapt at me, and I rolled as his lightsaber came down. I swept my saber at him, and he leapt straight up, getting a good ten feet under him. I just stood up and blocked his incoming saber almost effortlessly. He seemed just as uninterested in the fight. Then he did a slash quicker then I'd seen him do before, and I barely caught his blade on mine. He leaned in close, over the purple where our blades crossed. I tried pushing towards his ugly face, but he was bigger then me, and able to use his size and strength to keep my blade from him.

"You can't beat me, J'than. I'm not using the Force, and it's still a close fight. Don't make me use it." J'than smiled wickedly. "The Force doesn't serve me like it does you, but I'm smart enough to make other plans. Bye, _slave!_" He jumped back, then checking that the Knights were still arguing with Tirsa, brought his brilliant blue saber down on his forearm, slicing off a hand.

There was no blood. Lightsabers were hot enough to almost instantly cauterize any wound. But he howled, and put his saber away, as he theatrically fell to his knees. This got the attention of all three Jedi, and as Tirsa went to check on J'than, the other two slapped cuffs on my wrist.

That... didn't go over well with me. I surrendered immediately, and gave up my lightsaber, not stupid enough to fight two Knights. One, I might be stupid enough to fight. But not two. But when they put the cuffs on my wrist, I started freaking out, irrationally thinking that I'd be sold into servitude again. I struggled, and yelled, "No! No, you can't make me a slave again! NO!" I was involuntarily sending out waves of the force, amplified by fear, that almost knocked one of the Jedi from their feet. Tirsa stood, looking angry and sad. "You could've left it behind. You said- You _promised_ that you would. Now you have to face the justice of the Jedi."

I wouldn't stop struggling. "J'than! I won't forget this! I swear, I'll get you back for this! Five times harder! I SWEAR!" I sounded like a raging criminal, which I was, in the eyes of the Jedi. But as soon as I could no onger see J'than, all of the anger left me, replaced by a sense of numbness. J'than ruined my chance to free myself. To be... more then I was. More then I am... but now...

I touched the Force, barely feeling it without the fuel of emotion. But I could see my future. And it was bleak. I hung my head in defeat, as I was thrown into a ray-shielded cell. Metal on three sides, an impenetrable energy field on the fourth. And another one just like it above and below. As the two Knights were walking away, I called after them, "Will I get a trial?" One looked at me, no mercy, but no malice in his eyes. "Yes. When the war is over." My heart froze in my chest. That wouldn't be any time soon.


	12. Freedom of Thoughts

Chapter 12

I sat for a long time. Being in prison didn't give me the same hysteria that being in chains, or in slavery did. I was free, but within the confines of a metal box. Yeah, that kind of thinking is healthy. I stopped sitting then. I started pacing. I started seething. I started hating. Oh, it felt _good_ to hate again.

The whole time that I'd been at the Temple, I'd been trying to reign in my emotions. Tried to stay on best behavior, but that wasn't me. Not now. I paced back and forth, thinking of all the horrible ways that I could make good on my promise to J'than. I smiled. Cut off his limbs. One by one. Shock him with lightning, over and over. Destroy him utterly, mind and body, bringing him to the brink of sanity and life, drag him back, and do it again. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Oh, I was supposed to be here for a long time. The end of the war. I had a feeling that wouldn't come any time soon. Why not figure myself out while I was here?

I started trying to remember the Jedi Code, but couldn't remember enough to even make an attempt. Then I tried the Sith Code.

_"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. __Through passion, I gain strength. __Through strength, I gain power. __Through power, I gain victory. __Through victory, my chains are broken. __The Force shall free me._" I said it a few times, but faltered every time on the line, "Through victory, my chains are broken."

I'd beaten J'than. And still he was able to put me in chains. Through guile, planning, and a little bit of acting. Then I remembered another Code. _MY_ Code.

_"Ignorance is a lie, there is only passion.__Through passion, I gain serenity.__Through serenity, I gain strength. Through strength, my chains are broken. Through freedom, I defeat death.__There is no death, there is the Force."_

I thought for a while, and decided to fix a few lines. It all came about through a mistake, so it deserved to be fixed, right? Peace is a lie. Passion is all that works for me. Passion gives me Strength, not Serenity. Strength is Power. But Power doesn't always guarantee Victory. I decided to think it through some more.

Finally, I had it. I recited it, feeling every word fairly resonate inside of me. _"Peace is a lie. There is only Passion. Through Passion, I gain Power. Through Power, I gain Knowledge. Through Knowledge, I gain Victory. Through Victory, my chains are broken. Through Freedom, I reach the Force."_

Passion granted me power. With power, comes an ability to learn, to become more. The ability to out think, out fight, and out match your opponents leads to Victory. And if you cannot be beaten by those who would enslave you, they don't. Simple as that. It was simple. Passion gave me freedom. And I intended to think on that.

Peace is unattainable. Be it personal, global, or galaxy wide. Someone, somewhere, will always disturb it. But it is a good goal. And should be worked toward, because no matter how futile the goal of Peace is, the closer you get to it, the further you are from chaos. I sat again, trying to meditate, and to forget about my anger at J'than. As no amount of meditation, medication, or therapy could lessen it.

Passion wasn't evil. Neither was anger or love. The Jedi avoided these things because they _might_ lead to the darkside, and taught to avoid them, rather then to use them without falling. I didn't necessarily care about falling though. You can't fall off the bottom. I didn't really care where my power came from. Not anymore.

Of course, I tried to be a better person while attempting to join the Jedi. I didn't want to be the pariah among the Jedi. But I would never be able to control my emotions. As with most people, my emotions always influenced my life. Fear, forcing my compliance as a Slave. Determination, helping me to carry on, through the Sith Academy and Palius's 'training'. And Doubt. Getting me to join Tirsa. Getting me to fear the future. Doubt, controlling my life, slowing me down, forcing me to hesitate. That was the problem. If I hadn't hesitated, I would've been able to channel the force, to kill J'than before I got sent aay, to get vengeance... no. That was wrong. I couldn't have known his plan. And getting vengeance for something that someone might do in the future... It was wrong, and even a degenerate, self-serving, idiotic person like me could see that.

I opened my eyes, breaking from the thoughts of my... trance? It might have been actual meditation. Prison can do wonders for someone. Or drive them to sociopathic, homocidal tendencies.

As I opened my eyes, I was aware of the whirring of a lift. The same whirring as the one that brought me here. It stopped... at the cell to my right. I sighed, as I let my hope dash itself on the rocks of reality.

I heard a 'whumpf' sound, like someone being hit on the head. "This isn't him! Prisoner 134502_6! _Not 134502_5!_" It was a gruff, and muffled voice. Like they were wearing a helmet, or a mask.

The lift whirred to life again, and slid to the ray-shielding at the front of my cell. I stood up from my seated position, looking at Tirsa, flanked by two Republic Troopers, with blasters aimed right at me. There was also a lift operator, who stood rubbing his head, and muttering about how he hated the troopers.


	13. Mind Games

Chapter 13

"Is the war over already?" I asked as sarcastically as I could. The trooper on the right clicked the safety off on her gun.

I unconciously reached for the lightsaber that wasn't at my hip. But, I still had the one that was in my robes...

"So that's why you're still wearing those torn up robes." Tirsa said, immediately pushing and holding me against the metal wall. "Take the lightsaber." She said to one trooper, who took out a knife, "It's in a secret compartment in his right sleeve." The trooper worked quickly, cutting into my already tattered robes, and removing the saber. I sighed as she activated it, putting the blade close enough to my throat for the heat to be incredibly uncomfortable. Tirsa told the trooper to stop that, and she complied, stepping back behind Tirsa.

Tirsa let me drop, and I made a conscious effort to land on my feet, rather then my knees. Like I said, I don't want to kneel to anyone that didn't earn it. Tirsa looked blank, as she said, "You are charged with treason, assault, and attempted murder. How do you plead?" I sighed. "Innocent to all charges. Unless getting attacked by someone else counts as assault on my part." The female trooper, who was on the right, and had on a helmet that hid her face, shook her head. Probably in disgust. The trooper on the left, a man, simply stood motionless.

Tirsa nodded. "This is a council affair." She said to the troopers. "Your presence is no longer required." Tirsa stepped into my cell as the two rode the lift up, and the ray shielding came back online, putting a blue back drop behind Tirsa. I sat down, trying to ignore her and return to my meditations. She sat down in front of me.

"Why won't you plead guilty?" She asked. I refused to open my eyes. But the anger at her... no, not her, her ignorance, was going wild. "They'll be more lenient to you that way." She sounded like she was truly confused. And there was something else... She was worried? Ha. Good one, but no one will worry about a Slave who just happened to be able to move things with his her statement fueled the fires of my rage. Then Tirsa asked the _really_ annoying question.

"Why'd you do it?" My eyes exploded open, and I shot to my feet. (Again, not easy from the ground.) I started pacing, and the anger came off of me in both figurative waves, and in ripples of the force, not physically moving things, but changing the nature of the force around me. "I hate him. I really, really, hate him. I _hate_ him." I kept muttering this while I gathered my thoughts.

I turned to her, and by now she was standing too. "You want to know why I won't confess? Why I 'did it'? The reason is, I didn't! J'than did! That little _apprentice_ has an agenda, and I got in his way! _He _atacked _me_!Surely you saw _that_ part!" She nodded. "I saw him engage you, yes." "THEN YOU _KNOW_ THAT I DIDN'T ASSAULT HIM!"

"I saw him engage you. I did not see who struck first." I threw up my hands, walked to a metal wall, and banged on it as hard as I could with my left hand, over and over. After a solid minute, I took a deep breath, and turned to talk to her, with (slightly) less anger clawing at my throat.

"Okay," I sighed, "Look. J'than attacked me. I was beating him. Then he cut off his own hand so that the Jedi would imprison me. That's all that I can tell you." I let out another deep breath, and another, and was finally calm enough to sit and resume my meditations, closing my eyes. I ignored the presence of Tirsa totally, as well as her attempts to ask for more details. Eventually she sat next to me, and meditated. Her... presence, touched mine. I could feel her serenity assaulting my rage, and my entire body loosened up as my mind calmed. I involuntarily let out a sigh, and felt very calm... very... not myself.

"Now," Tirsa said. "Can you tell me what happened?" I nodded dreamily, and opened my eyes. "Like I said, all of that happened. But I did have a short fight with J'than before the one earlier. Then I talked with Rila and Drake. They told me about how J'than wanted to fight the Sith, to test himself. And I was the best that he could do, anywhere near here. So I fought him, and mocked him a bit. He wasn't too good, but that's why he probably wanted revenge."

She looked shocked. Probably about how I stuck to my story. Then the trance broke, and my rage returned. Not as powerful as before, but still strong. "You! You mind-tricked me! Why would you...!?"

"So you were telling the truth... I should tell the council, have J'than looked into."

I would give an arm and a leg for the Jedi to make sense. First they're guardians of the galaxy, then they're soldiers, then they're judge and jury all in one. Then, rather then acknowledge that they were wrong, they ignore it. I hate them. With a passion.


	14. Once a Slave

Chapter 14

Tirsa left me then. I sighed, sitting down, leaning against the wall. A meal was delivered by way of a tube. I ate from it, all the while appreciating the prison food, and cursing that Tirsa had taken my back-up saber. I shook my head, hoping that they'd let me go after this foolishness with J'than was figured out. I heard the lift coming back down, and I stood, smiling. I was ready to get out of here, and, really, Tirsa didn't deserve any hatred. She was the least annoying Jedi in the Temple.

My smile lasted until I saw who was on the lift. J'than, flanked by two Jedi. He gave me a smile, waving with his new synthetic right hand, even as the curse on my tongue started taking shape. I spat on the ground in front of me, even as I gathered the smallest bits of the Dark Side that I could. Even on the Jedi home world, the Dark Side could be found, however weak. I was lucky enough to be in one of the breeding grounds for hatred too, a prison. I focused on my own hatred for J'than, and gathered the residual hatred from the cells around me. As soon as the ray-shielding dropped, I flexed my hand, and the Force, in an attempt to blast J'than off of the lift.

But, before it connected, the Jedi on the right absorbed the blow with one of his own, negating my hastily gathered attack. The two Jedi rushed forward, grabbing my arms and forcing me to my knees. J'than's blue Lightsaber seemed more wicked now, more evil, and as he walked towards me, I could feel it. He was... so much stronger then before. He was also corrupted. He... his eyes were yellow. He smiled. Again, it was far more wicked.

"You were right, you know." I looked him in the eyes with contempt. "I always am." He scowled at this. "I was weak. But... now... Now I'm so much more! The Dark Side has made me strong... and it was your influence that brought it to me." He bowed mockingly, and said 'thank you' in the vilest of ways. "Now, as a gift for you, in return for helping us three to embrace the Dark Side, we will help you to become One with the Force."

I was doing my best to mask my fear, but the three sets of yellow eyes really unnerved me. J'than took a deep breath, and shook his head. "You wouldn't by any chance be masking your emotions? Now what could you want to hide from me? Something that could be used against you...? Your Fear?!" He deactivated his lightsaber, and raised his hands. "You're not doing a very good job."

He was taking my fear and using it. But the main thing was that his lightsaber was deactivated. I started to focus on everything that I could use. My fear. My pride. Not to mention the IMMENSE hatred that I had for J'than. I felt the Force welling up inside of me, and as the Jedi that held me backed of a bit, J'than smiled smugly, stepping forward. I yelled, and threw a savage bolt of the Force at him, that swirled and twisted with the air distorted in its color, as lightning crackled throughout, and was very possibly the most powerful act of the Force that I'd ever committed...

He caught it. He caught my last-ditch effort attack! Sure, he took a step back when it hit his hands, but that was it! Then he smiled even bigger. And sent it back at me.

I screamed, as I was thrown against the wall, knocking the wind from my lungs, the electricity arced all over my body, and I screamed with all of the air that i didn't have in my lungs. I couldn't breathe for almost a minute, and all the while, J'than laughed uncontrollably while his two lackeys stood stock still, and silent as the night. When we both recovered, I from arcing and horrible pain, and he from a laughing fit so bad that he was almost as breathless as me, he had the nerve to say, "It looks like you can't get as well as you give. Slave."

I was still on the floor, trying to recover my strength and overcome the minds of their own that my muscles seemed to have developed. I finally got my body under control, and tried standing. I failed. The best that I could do was kneel. Like a good little slave. I looked into J'than's eyes with anger. But he didn't care. He was no longer someone who could care.

"I could tell that you were a slave from the moment that I saw you. All slaves have something about them. A stench of desperation that seeps into their bones. I could tell that you were desperate to become a Jedi. It was your last ticket to freedom. But a slave doesn't just become free. Even a free slave is a slave. To his own mind, which tells him that he still needs a certain amount of order, some structure, a _Master_. But a slave remains one. Even you. You have a forced independence, a false sense of purpose about you, that reveals how lost you truly are."

He didn't stop talking did he? Whatever. He was right. I've been without a purpose ever since I found the Force. I looked down, feeling the words strike me just as Tirsa's did. There was something in my eye, and I was tearing up. I... I hadn't cried when Palius threw his worst at me, and now I was crying because some sorry excuse for a Jedi talked down to me?! No. NO. I will NOT go like this. My rage heated itself. It ignited something in me. Anything that I'd called rage, or hatred, or fear paled in comparison to this feeling. I was ready to kill. I pushed myself unsteadily to my feet. And the two Jedi moved on me as J'than turned to face a whirring lift, going to receive some other passenger, and leaving the four of us here, with no way out.

I smiled. I was excited for round two.


	15. The More Things Change

Chapter 15

J'than was still looking for the lift, so I only had two to deal with for now. The first that struck at me was gathering the Dark Side around him, but he was unskilled. The Dark Side still clouded his mind, as it does all converts at first, and any new initiates. He had forgotten to take ot his saber. He was bigger then me, so he still had a slight advantage. But I was used to being at a disadvantage. It gave me a home field advantage.

His first strike was a quick jab at my head, which I blocked. I struck a glancing blow to his stomach, when the other one came up with a saber. He swung at me clumsily in the confined space, and I was able to swing his ally in front of me, as I took the saber from the man who presently only had a single arm from the shoulder down. I drew my saber, and began striking at the man. He was blocking clumsily, and I could feel the build-up of the Force in him. And... behind me? I turned my head, and saw the man who was struggling to his feet without letting go of where his arm used to be. He was gathering it as well. I stepped back, deactivating the saber. I waited for the torrent of Lightning.

It was dissapointing. They were strong enough Jedi, but they made poor Sith. I laughed as the Lightning shocked me, causing muscle spasms in my arms, but the pain barely registered. I'd gotten used to it. I gathered the Dark Side, or as much as I could, and strengthened the lightning as it struck me. It grew... and grew... It still arced across my skin, becoming far more painful as the charge built and gathered around me... J'than finally turned, and I smiled, barely able to contort the muscles in my face willingly.

"Ready to die, Hutt-Breath?" I know, I know, weak. I could do better, but not on short notice. I released the building torrent, the pain diminishing to levels that I was so used to, the relief was actually present, even if the lightning still arced across my body in places. But the other three...

The one without an arm was out cold, or dead. The other one was down, but spasming so violently that he could break some bones, and... when did I start caring about these idiots who attacked me? J'than was the only one I cared about. He was so going to die. I looked to where he had been standing, and saw Tirsa and HK looking at me strangely. Tirsa looked like she was in shock... bad pun. And HK simply tilted his head, and said, "MastER, I have a query. Why keep me while you are in prison? I could've broken you out." I nodded. I know. But HK, not now. New Directive. Hunter-Killer mode activated. Find J'than, former Padawan of the Jedi Order. Bring him before me, and execute him when I deem it neccesary. If he is in a fight with you, andit is you or him, make sure to kill him. You're worth more then revenge."

HK nodded. He sounded very pleased when he let out a "Yes, MastER!" He immediately took the lift up, and Tirsa had to jump in to avoid having to repeat the trip. I nodded to her, and just when she looked to want to say something, I fell over and passed out.

I woke up in a medical bay, to see Tirsa standing over me with a deactivated HK next to her. The first thing on my mind was, "Why is he still here? Why isn't he hunting J'than?"

Tirsa shook her head. "That isn't an appropriate action for a citizen of the Republic, or a Jedi." I didn't care much. "Well, seeing as I'm neither of the-" "You are now _BOTH_ of these things." she interrupted. I was struck dumb by this procclamation (Fancy words from a slave) "Training starts at 5:00 tomorrow morning, Padawan."

I got up, still feeling pretty weak from my fight with J'than. I hobbled over to HK, and gave the re-activation command. He booted up, and immediately said, "MastER! It's a pleasure to see you. Will you be accompanying me on the journey to destroy the meat-bag?" Meat-bag? What happened to organic? Or just J'than? Whatever. HK's quirks came and went, but it didn't change how valuable and great he was. He was still my only real friend.

"No." I said. "HK, disregard former order." HK sagged a little. "I don't get to exterminate the meat-bag?" I was at a crossroads here. Pursue a petty vendetta, or act like the Jedi Tirsa... Master would be proud of. I sighed, knowing that I'd hate myself for this decision.

You know, after I grew a conscience.

"Not what I said. Hunt him down, and kill him. Don't bring him back. Have fun, my insane, homocidal friend." HK chuckled mechanically, and said, "MastER, stop with the compliments! You'll make te other droids jealous." I laughed. I could always count on HK. I might become a bigger person later in life, and start sending HK to collect bounties, rather then heads. But J'than would be really lucky to survive long enough for me to cancel my order. But if the Force needed him for some reason, I'm sure he'd survive.

I then noticed the brown Jedi robes on the stand by my table. I reached for them, then looked at the black Sith robes beside them. I sighed. Some things never change. I put on the white armor that I always wore under my robes. Then I donned the Jedi robes, feeling guilty and undeserving the whole time that I wore it.

Some things do change. That damn conscience must already be growing.


End file.
